At 1:53 of the first period with the Red Wings killing a penalty, Howard left the puck behind the net, and Capitals forward Troy Brouwer scored to give Washington a 1-0 lead. Howard stretched out in an attempt to make the save and then was unable to get up.

"I've got no update," Red Wings coach coach Mike Babcock said after the game. "He'll go [to Detroit] and get tested and we'll see what happens. Obviously, he looked like he was in great pain."

Petr Mrazek replaced Howard, who was named to the 2015 Honda NHL All-Star Game as the Red Wings' lone representative earlier Saturday.